Advancing Engineering Education in P‐12 Classrooms

TLDR

Engineering must make technology ubiquitous and transparent while sparking young learners’ interest, and STEM initiatives are expanding across pre‑kindergarten to 12th grade to meet this need. The article investigates how engineering education can foster the knowledge and skills needed to apply STEM concepts to real‑world problem solving via design, troubleshooting, and analysis. The authors describe several instructional models for integrating engineering into P‑12 curricula and discuss teacher, professional development, and institutional challenges that guide future research and development.

Abstract

Abstract Engineering as a profession faces the challenge of making the use of technology ubiquitous and transparent in society while at the same time raising young learners' interest and understanding of how technology works. Educational efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (i.e., STEM disciplines) continue to grow in pre‐kindergarten through 12th grade (P‐12) as part of addressing this challenge. This article explores how engineering education can support acquisition of a wide range of knowledge and skills associated with comprehending and using STEM knowledge to accomplish real world problem solving through design, troubleshooting, and analysis activities. We present several promising instructional models for teaching engineering in P‐12 classrooms as examples of how engineering can be integrated into the curriculum. While the introduction of engineering education into P‐12 classrooms presents a number of opportunities for STEM learning, it also raises issues regarding teacher knowledge and professional development, and institutional challenges such as curricular standards and high‐stakes assessments. These issues are considered briefly with respect to providing direction for future research and development on engineering in P‐12.